2024 Swinney 'Farvie' Mourvedre
Matthew Jukes, matthewjukes.com
“This is a super-polished Mourvèdre, unlike the mightier styles found in South Australia and beyond. It glides over the palate, leaving velvety, red-fruited flourishes, spiked with discreet, cleansing minerality, but at no point is it edgy or scouring. For a bright, youthful, and urgent red wine, with only two years under its belt, it is, surprisingly, ready to go with its neat, formal finish. As it opens in the glass, further hints of fig, red fruits, violets and fresh tobacco billow. And I noticed another enchanting fact about this wine. On the second day of tasting (I always go back to important wines over a couple of days to see how they evolve), the bottle was rather chilly to the touch, as I had left it in a cool spot in my kitchen. This diminuendo in temperature heightened the drama immeasurably in the glass, which was rather exciting. My advice when you launch into this trio, as you surely should drink all three side by side, is to start here, with this bottle three or four degrees cooler than the other two (at near as dammit ‘cellar temperature’) and wait for your senses to catapult into action.” 18.5/20
Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com.au
“The colour is deeper and richer than the grenache. Loads of punchy dark fruit characters, with that distinctive ironstone character which is evident in the grenache but not to the same extent. Has less acidity than the Grenache. And in this case, it is 100% whole bunch in a single oak vat, which comes off leaner, lighter gravel profile soils. There’s an earthy gamey meat charcuterie character on the nose. The palate has a deep intensity. It’s a structured wine showing the firmness of the tannins. As it breathed, the seductive perfumed florals of this variety started to emerge. When I tasted it the next day, they were even more profound, suggesting great things ahead. Another example of how Farvie is pushing this Rhone variety into rarefied air among the world’s best.” 97/100
Ken Gargett, winepilot.com
"This is not simply one of the best examples of Mourvèdre from Australia, it’s one of the best in the world. Cracking stuff. From the Frankland River region, the fruit is entirely from the Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. These are dry grown, bush vines. The fruit is hand-picked and the team use 100% whole bunches in the fermentation. The wine spends two weeks on skins before maturing for eleven months in large format, older French oak. Deep maroon hue, the nose reveals notes of cassis, blackberries, plums, some fleshy notes, smoked meats, chocolate, dried herbs and a touch of fruitcake. There is a silky texture through to satiny tannins along with very good length. A supple style, this is nicely balanced and the oak has been deftly handled. A fifteen-to-twenty-five-year proposition." 98/100